The Secrets of PJO & HoO
by prehistoric-huntress
Summary: This is a chain of one-shots about PJO and HoO. I hope you guys like it! (italicized words in first chapter belong to Rick Riordan and so does every other character!)
1. The Greatest Gift

**The Greatest Gift**

We were running, towards that big shape hovering at the entrance. Seven figures stood at its railing, their arms outstretched as if their wiggling fingers would get us to move faster. It didn't. But it certainly gave us hope and pride to know they were there; waiting for us. Our breathing was heavy and our muscles were burning and our wounds were bleeding, but the fact an army of about three hundred monsters of all kinds, together despite their differences, were right behind us kept us determined.

"I don't know if we're going to make it!" Annabeth panted, her matted and bloodied hair flowing behind her. Her intense grey eyes were fixed on the Argo II and the other half of our family as she ran, her sprained ankle not the least bit of an issue.

"We will!" I said, though I wasn't sure. It didn't matter if we reached the ship, an army was at the doors of Death and if the doors weren't closed, the effort of escaping would be worthless. She looked at me, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing. We ran, but came to a halt, backpedalling to avoid falling into a giant trench that separated us from the Argo II. Rocks crumbled at our feet and tumbled down the sheer cliffs into darkness. We spun to face the army that was rapidly closing in on us. It seemed to be over. Jason and Frank tried to jump off and come to our aid, but Nico stopped them. There was no way they could get us and out without being pulled in.

Leo's hands flew as he tried to figure out a way to reach us; a good two hundred feet away. A mechanical basket flew out the ship's side and latched itself at our feet with two huge, silver grappling hooks. We stared at it, as everyone on the ship was screaming for us to climb on board. But we knew one of us had to stay behind.

"I'll stay!" Annabeth said. There was no way in hell I was going to let her do it. Over my dead body.

"No, I will!" I said.

"Percy! We don't have time to argue about this!" she argued, casting a quick glance at the advancing army. She was stubborn and I knew I would never win this argument, so I nodded. I grabbed her and pulled her close to me, our lips crashing together with an explosion of fireworks. She grasped me as if her life depended on it. I felt tears running down my cheeks as I knew this would be the last time I'd ever kiss her, or touch her at all. I could feel her body shuddering from sobs and as I cupped her face, I could feel the wetness of her cheeks.

We pulled away, almost breathless. I stared at her, drinking in every single aspect of her. The way the sun pouring in to the entrance shined on her honey colored hair and the way her eyes sparkled. The way her pink lips were perfectly outlined, and it didn't matter her face was bruised and cut. She never looked more beautiful to me. I opened the door to the basket, but instead of stepping in, I pushed her in. She stumbled in with a startled yelp and fell onto its hard floor. I slammed the door and released the hooks.

"GO!" I yelled. Leo understood perfectly, though I could tell he didn't want to do it. The basket started to retreat as Annabeth stared at me in horror.

"PERCY!" she screeched. She tried to unlatch the door, but she was already too far to jump back.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking.

"Percy! No!" she cried, as she put her hand out. I mirrored her gesture, but we would never be touching again.

"I love you! Live for me, Annabeth," I said, pressing two of my fingers against my lips and pointing them at her. Crying, she did the same.

She struggled, but she finally found her voice. "I will. I love you," she said, her voice strangled. Her eyes were red and she clutched her chest like it would fall apart if she didn't. I never stopped looking at her. Not even when she was back on board with Hazel and Piper tending to her wounds. Nico looked at me. He had a knowing look in his eyes, and even though he was pained, he nodded. He then turned to Leo and barked an order. Reluctantly, Leo turned back and fired up the Argo II. It began to take off as Annabeth pushed off the girls and ran down its length, trying to keep me in her sights. She was leaning over the rail at the very back of the ship as she stared at me with her painstakingly beautiful eyes. She raised her hand and I did same until she disappeared around the mountain and I was glad she was the last thing I'd ever see.

I pulled out the dagger that was supposed to close the doors from the inside and stabbed it into the ground. There was a deep rumbling sound as the mountain shook, rocks tumbling down and crushing monsters. The only opening that had ever existed in this giant piece of rock closed up, as if night had swallowed it. The sunlight on my face disappeared and I closed my eyes as memories flashed by.

"_You drool when you sleep."_

"_What if it lines up like it did in the Trojan War ... Athena versus Poseidon?"  
__"I don't know. But I just know that I'll be fighting next to you."  
__"Why?"  
__"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"_

"_Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of a tradition, right?"  
_"_Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we'll see."_

_"You're cute when you're worried," she muttered. "Your eyebrows get all scrunched together."_

_Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around my neck. "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it." When she kissed me, I had the feeling my brain was melting right through my body._

_"You are such an idiot sometimes." She smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."  
__Memories came flooding back to me- sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand._

_She looked at me, like she was drinking in the fact that I was still here. And I realized I was doing the same thing. The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me was that she was alive._

"_I think I owe you a dance."  
__She smiled slowly. "All right, Seaweed Brain."  
__So I took her hand, and I don't know what everybody else heard, but to me it sounded like a slow dance: a little sad, but maybe a little hopeful, too._

"_I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."_

_She leaned in and kissed him; a good, proper kiss without anyone watching—no Romans anywhere, no screaming satyr chaperones.  
__She pulled away. "I missed you, Percy."  
__Percy wanted to tell her the same thing, but it seemed too small a comment. While he had been on the Roman side, he'd kept himself alive almost solely by thinking of Annabeth. I missed you didn't really cover that._

"_You're not getting away from me. Never again."  
__Only then did she understand what would happen. A one way trip. A very hard fall.  
_"_As long as we're together."_

It didn't matter that he was stuck in Tartarus or that he was surrounded by hundreds of monsters or that he was going to die. It only mattered that Annabeth was alive and safe. Annabeth would live for him, and that was the greatest gift she could ever give him.


	2. Old and New Wounds

_We all know Death is going to happen. It's just something completely different seeing it happen._

* * *

**Old and New Wounds**

She looked up through her thick lashes; her blue eyes so fierce they could singe his clothes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She bit her tongue to keep something hurtful from spilling out. The truth is, he didn't understand. This wasn't his brother lying on the floor, blood oozing from his old and new wounds.

"He was a hero," Percy said. She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling not to break down in front of everyone who was watching.

"Just go," she said, her voice so low it was barely a whisper.

"But-"

"GO!" she yelled, throwing her blue eyes on him. He nodded, clearly understanding. He stood up and turned to the remaining of the Seven. He didn't need to say anything, they all slowly turned and left in silence.

She stared after them until they disappeared. Then, she looked back down at the broken body of her brother.

"You're so stupid, Jason! So stupid!" she said softly. She was on the verge of tears. She softly caressed his face, passing her pale fingers through his dirty blonde hair.

"Why did you do that?" she said, her voice breaking. She bit her lip, trying to stay under control. She knew he was a hero at heart, but she suddenly hated it because it had cost him his life, though it was still a fact about him she admired most.

"I finally had you," she whispered. "And now you're gone again," she cried. She leaned forward, touching her forehead to his.

"Just wait for me, Jason," she whispered, strain in her voice as she tried to speak through her tears. "Wait for me at the doors of Heaven. And I'll meet you there. I promise."


	3. Wise Girl

_As long as I've got you, Wise Girl, Tartarus ain't got nothing on me._

* * *

**Wise Girl**

It was dark, dirty, musty, foggy, and any other word you could use to describe Tartarus. The grounds were uneven and endless, stretching as far as the eye can see, and further. They sat on the moist floor, their backs pressed together as they tried to catch their breath.

"What if we don't make it?" Annabeth asked hopelessly, moving her head so her cheek pressed against his shoulder. She could feel him panting. The fall hadn't been easy.

"I don't know, but whatever happens, I'm good as long as I've got you," he said, twisting his head sideways to kiss the top of her head.

"And why's that?" she asked, smiling weakly. He turned around to look at her.

"Because you're my girlfriend. Any more stupid questions, Wise Girl?"


	4. Ursa Major In The Moonlight

_Can you count the stars? No. Well, that's how much I love you._

* * *

"Okay, so what does that star mean?" he asked. Annabeth licked her lips.

"Ursa Major. A woman named Callisto, follower of Artemis, was turned into a bear by Hera when Zeus came to her in Artemis's form and made love to her. When Hera found out she was pregnant, she turned her into a bear and before her son killed her for not recognizing her, Zeus threw them into the stars," she answered, adding the last bit with a trace of sorrow.

"Hera always misplaces her anger. If anyone should've been punished, it should've been Zeus," Annabeth said, feeling anger towards the goddess that hated her so much. Lightning crackled in the sky. Percy chuckled.

"I don't think Zeus liked that," he smiled. Annabeth looked up.

"Well, I don't really care," she said, tilting her head up to see him. His hair was almost silver in the moonlight and his eyes looked as big as the moon they reflected. And she couldn't help herself. She propped herself up on one elbow. And leaned in for a kiss.


	5. Spiders & Nightmares

**She hated being a demigod.  
**Because of it she woke up in cold sweats and spider bites every night. She gained the hatred of her family because of something she couldn't control. She spent months on the run from monsters that never seemed to stay dead. She's lost friends that died too young and it infuriated her.

**He hated being a demigod.  
**Because of it he woke up with nightmares every night. The gods seemed to use him like a punching bag and sent him to do what they were too chicken to do. He's lost friends and has lost the innocent boy he used to be.

**But when she looked into his green eyes, that seemed to be the embodiment of the ocean; wild and free and perfect in every way.**

**And when he looked into her grey eyes, that seemed to calculate the best way to dispose of your body; wise and smart and painstakingly beautiful.**

_ They wouldn't change it for the world._


	6. Every Day

He still stared out at the ocean every night. It had become routine. Not even the harpies bothered him. Not even the Stolls.

It probably wasn't the manliest thing ever, but he cried every night. Sometimes he cried so hard he couldn't breathe and it would echo through his cabin like high pitched squeals of absolute agony. Sometimes they were only sniffles as he lay in bed, but most of the time, it were a few tears sliding down his cheeks as he sat on the long stretch of the Sound, looking out.

No one entertained the thought she might still be alive, except for him. And although everyone knew she would never be coming back, they let him believe it. They left him alone with the only spark of hope he cradled.

It was almost midnight when a set of incredibly soft footsteps sounded behind him, so soft most people would think it was the wind. But he knew better. The person came up next to him and sat down.

"You looked lonely out here," a familiar voice said. He wiped his cheeks.

"It's the only time alone I get. No one leaves my side during the day. I bet they think I'm going to do something crazy," Percy said weakly. Thalia rested her hand on his shoulder.

"You do have that tendency," she said, in her ever blunt so-thalia-like tone. Percy shrugged.

"I guess." They stayed quiet, enjoying the soft lapping sound as the waves crashed on the shore.

"I miss her too," Thalia said, breaking the silence. Percy's heart squeezed and he felt a fresh wave of tears on their way.

"Yeah," he croaked. Thalia sniffled. It sounded weird coming from her, when she always acted so tough.

"Percy, I think about her _every day_. It breaks my heart _every day._ Sometimes I even consider leaving the Hunters, to avoid living with this, this pain forever, literally," Thalia said, her voice laced thick with emotion. Percy's eyes watered as he remembered her, Annabeth. Perfect in every way she could be and perfectly imperfect in the others.

"I think death is sounding kind of good right now," Percy said bitterly. He expected to be chided by Thalia about how that wasn't the right way to think, the way every damn person had being to him. But this was Thalia, not anyone else. Thalia rubbed his shoulder.

"I've never agreed with you more."


	7. Better After Death

**Better After Death**

**I do not own the poem. It absolutely and completely belongs to Elizabeth Barrett Browning.**

**Idea for this short story inspired by the movie Patch Adams.**

They were sitting alone on the beach, enjoying the warm sun on their skin and the cold water lapping their toes. Their fingers were softly entwined, with her head on his shoulder, her long blonde hair dangling down his shoulder blade. Her eyes were closed, as she just enjoyed the feel of having him there, knowing she had him all to herself.

"Hey," Percy whispered. She raised her head as he stuck his hand in his pocket and rummaged around for something.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked, curious to know what he wanted to show her. He finally pulled out a rumpled piece of paper. He smiled at her, making her breath catch.

"I want to read something to you," he said, letting go of her hand and fumbling with the stained paper as he opened it. Across the faded blue lines, were a bunch of quickly scribbled words. His hands shook and he was wondering if he should continue with this idea, but when he saw her beautiful smile, he didn't care if he looked like a total dork by doing so.

"_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
__I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  
__My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
__For the ends of Being and ideal Grace." _Her heart fluttered as he spoke the words with such quirkiness, it was downright adorable. She read a lot, but he must've worked hard to find a poem she hadn't heard before.

"_I love thee to the level of every day's  
__Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.  
__I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;  
__I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise –"_ He was caught off from continuing when Clarisse called from the little hill that blocked Camp Half Blood from the beach.

"Yo, lovebirds! We've got some monsters tryna get in! Get your butts in gear!" she said, as she turned and walked away, not even bothering to see if they would get up and follow. They stood.

"I promise I'll finish reading you this poem," Percy smiled, caressing her cheek. She caught his hand.

"I know," she whispered. They raced off, pulling their weapons and facing the monsters trying to destroy their only sanctuary.

Sometime during the fight, they had been split up. He wasn't sure how or even when, but he didn't feel her presence anymore. He stabbed the monster, sending its ashes with the wind as he spun to look for her. Most of the monsters had already been reduced to nothing, but something in his gut told him something was wrong. Really, really wrong.

"Annabeth?!" he called out, searching the crowd of demigods. Clarisse walked up to him, looking strangely somber, not her usual tough-act appearance.

"Percy," she said, her voice unnatural soft. Percy's heart squeezed.

"No," he said, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. He looked around Clarisse and saw a group of demigods standing around a motionless body.

"No!" he yelled.

"Percy, wait! Please!" Clarisse wrestled him into a lock he could've easily escaped if he had been concentrated. He struggled helplessly as Clarisse held him back.

"Annabeth!" he screamed.

"Percy!" Clarisse yelled, trying to shake some attention out of him.

"Let me go!" he screeched, clawing at the arms that were keeping him away from Annabeth. Clarisse finally released him. He ran, dropping his sword and knelt next to Annabeth, cradling her in his arms.

"Annabeth! Come on, baby! Come on!" he yelled, as he rested his ear to her chest, but heard nothing.

"No, no, no, no, no," he whimpered, as he pulled her into a hug. He could still smell the faint smell of lemons clinging to her. He cried out, rocking her in his arms.

"Annabeth!" he yelled, but her body was cold. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Percy, she's gone," Connor said, sounding oddly somber.

"NO!" Connor stepped away, looking at Travis helplessly. Eventually, they pulled him away from her, kicking and screaming. Keeping him away, they wrapped her in her mother's shroud and set her up for a burial worthy of a child of Athena. Percy stood back, as words were spoken, tears were shed and the fire raged. After everyone had filed out, Percy was left alone, with the burning remains of the person he loved more than his own life.

In the silence, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He'd promised her.

"_I love with a passion put to use  
__In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith," _he said, his voice broken.

"_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose  
__With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,  
__Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,  
__I shall but love thee better after death."_


End file.
